You Don't Love Me Yet
by the waffle
Summary: I know that you're in love with her. You're just making do with me until she wakes up one morning and realizes that she can't live without you, right? Well, I'll let you know, never gonna happen!


AN: Hello everyone! And here I present to you, tomboy14's birthday present (I hope you don't mind it being up a day early, but I've a wedding to go to tomorrow)! I hope you all like it, as I'm quite proud of this story. It's the first time I've written in first-person narrative, and it's about 6 A4 pages long. It's the longest thing I've written yet! It's also my first non-AU fic! Jeez.

I'm sorry that I haven't updated my other stories, for those who read them, but as I said, I have important exams. I've not got enough time to write. This was an exception, 'cause it's a present and it's a one-shot.

Anyway, on with the (sort of) angst!

* * *

We were both lying on the highest hill in Konoha when he told me. Lying, looking up at the washed-out blue sky with insubstantial clouds floating gently across it. I was filled with this great big feeling that threatened to rip me apart if I didn't let it out. I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, 'cause we had only been dating about a month or so, but I was bold, brash Ino. I wasn't scared of silly emotions. So I went for it. "Shikamaru…"

He turned to me, his eyes lazy and his cheek squashed against the ground, "Yeah?"

I blushed and, still looking up at the clouds, said, "I'm kinda in love with you."

It sounded so pathetic that I screwed my eyes up tight. That only made the silence even more unbearable. I wasn't expecting him to say it back but I was, and he _didn't._ I dug my fingers into the cool ground.

Suddenly he sighed wearily and muttered, "Troublesome…" Not what I was expecting, nor what I wanted. I turned to face him although I kept my eyes closed. Shikamaru reached out and gently caressed my cheek but I wrenched away from him. "Ino…" I told him something hugely important and all he could do was whine my name? "So what is this to you?" I asked angrily, sitting up. He sat up too and tried to explain without much success. "This…to me, it's a…a thing. Yeah. A thing. I respect you and think you're brave for telling me, but…"

"A _thing?_" I half-shrieked, "That's all it is, a thing?"

He groaned and massaged his temples while I glared venomously at him. "Ino, I didn't think it was that serious." I glared even more, and I think I may have even started to growl. He continued with his half-assed explanation. "You're so high-maintenance, but I still thought this was a no-fuss relationship. I thought that's what it was to you too."

I raked my hands through my hair, mussing it up, but right then I was too pissed to care. "High-maintenance? Oh, and I bet Temari's a ray of low-maintenance sunshine."

"What the _hell _does Temari have to do with this?"

My lips thinned down to just a line. I knew what he was all about and I was gonna let him have it. "_Everything._ I know that you're in love with her. You're just making do with me until she wakes up one morning and realizes that she can't live without you, right? Well, I'll let you know-never gonna happen!"

He flopped back down onto the ground and some loose dirt floated up. He grumbled and then said to me, "I hate it when you get angry. You start to talk a load of shit about stuff you know absolutely _nothing_ about."

I sat sulking for a few moments while Shikamaru stared at the clouds again. Then he said, so quietly I almost didn't hear him, "Yeah, I love her." I could literally feel my heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. "And I know that she doesn't feel the same way. But it's not up for discussion. Ever. She's my friend and I care about her deeply and if you can't handle that, then it's your problem. But, for what it's worth Ino, I care about you too."

I pushed myself up and walked away silently. Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes, but I wouldn't let them while he was still near. When I couldn't hold them back anymore, I sprinted for Sakura's. I needed to offload to someone, and I could do that, and consume copious amounts of chocolate, at her house.

* * *

Well, that was my diet right out of the window. I must've eaten an amount of chocolate that rivalled the size of Suna. I groaned as that thought entered my head. That was where Temari was from. Stupid Sand twit.

Sakura rubbed soothing circles on my back while I sniffed pathetically. She still didn't know what I was crying about 'cause I was practically bawling when I reached her home. She just helped me up to her room and sat quietly while alternately passing me tissues and chocolate.

"So," she ventured, after I had stopped crying so much, "what happened?"

I almost burst into tears again, but after frantically scrubbing at my eyes with the back of my hands, I sort of composed myself. "Shikamaru…he said he doesn't love me." Sakura gasped at this and opened her mouth to speak but I held up my hand and said gravely, "It gets worse. He said--" my voice broke, "he-he said th-that he love-loved _Temari!" _Sakura either looked shocked at my revelation, or how much venom I poured into the last word. It was probably both.

"Are you sure?" she asked, softly, like I was a skittish animal, and any loud sounds were likely to provoke me.

To me, that was a stupid question. Of course I was sure! Though I think she probably only said it for lack of anything else to say. To find out your best friend's boyfriend loved someone else _was _pretty shocking, I suppose.

"What did you do?" she asked sympathetically.

Vehemently, I said, "I broke up with him."

"Good for you!"

I nodded, even though it didn't _feel _good. I felt terrible, to tell you the truth. I was still _angry_, of course, but I kind of got where he was coming from. Like, if I had gone out with someone after breaking up with Shikamaru, then I could end up in the same position as him. I made a decision then and there to go see Temari. I asked Sakura what she thought of that idea.

"Going to see Temari? That's a good idea, actually. You can go see what the opposition is like." Which actually wasn't the original purpose, but was a good thought all the same.

I stood and pronounced that I was going to see her right that second. Until Sakura said that I was tear- and grass-stained, and that my hair was a shambles.

* * *

Once I got fixed up, I strode purposefully to the Hokage's tower. I skulked around there, waiting for Temari to show up. When she appeared, stalking out of the building, I pounced on her.

Well, actually, I kind of scuttled up to her. Meekly, I said, "Temari?"

She turned around and beamed at me before recollecting herself and frowning at me. Yup, I knew what was coming next… "Shikamaru told me you broke up with him." And there it was. That utter bastard.

I absently rubbed the back of my head. "Um, yeah. Did he tell you _why?_"

She frowned again, though this time she was trying to remember. "Something about him already being in love with another girl…?"

I raised one of my eyebrows. So she didn't know it was her… And she didn't know the whole story either!

Holding my arms akimbo, I began to tell her the whole sorry mess. Leaving out the part about the mystery girl being _her_, of course. I wasn't that vindictive.

She nodded slowly as I finished. I was silent, letting her digest the information.

"I see your point," she eventually said. Inside, I was cheering. Shikamaru's love agreed with _me._ "But," she said, while I slowly and silently deflated, "he was telling you the truth when he said he cared about you. He told me so himself. And he would talk about you all the time. Saying stuff about how beautiful and smart you were. He never once mentioned the mystery girl." Well, he wasn't likely to, was he? And he was probably only trying to make her jealous. I fumed. "Y'know," she continued, "I think he may actually love you." Ha. How little she knew.

Then who should appear but Shikamaru? He stood protectively beside Temari; as if he thought I would attack her or something. Which I guess was a valid thought, given my short temper. Shikamaru glared at me so forcefully that I was shocked, and Temari gently reprimanded him. She glanced apologetically at me then walked away with him.

I clenched my fists and stomped off to meet Sakura at Ichiraku's.

* * *

"So?" said Sakura after swallowing a mouthful of ramen, "What're your thoughts?"

I laid my head down on the counter. "I have no chance. She's _too damn perfect._" And she was. She was smart and funny and nice. And while she wasn't strikingly beautiful, she just sort of exuded this aura. It wasn't fair.

"Oh, come on," Sakura said, "it can't be that bad?"

"It _is _that bad. Except maybe for the fact that she has no romantic feelings for him. It's strictly platonic."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" she asked.

I just sat quietly, my head still resting on the counter. I was looking at this little speck of dirt. I heard the old man asking Sakura if I was alright. Which I so obviously wasn't. And then he asked what was wrong with me. Like it was any of his business! Nosy old bastard.

A while later, with me _still _staring at that bit of dirt, I heard Naruto come up behind me. "Hey Sakura, Ino."

Sakura said hello back. Naruto asked me quietly if I was okay. What was with people asking me that? I was in the middle of a crisis, and I most definitely didn't look okay. I thought the answer was pretty obvious. "No," I answered him shortly, "now piss off and leave me alone, idiot."

His face went all twisted like he wanted to answer back but was refraining 'cause he didn't want to make the sad girl sadder.

I stood up, stretched, and walked away. Sakura called after me, but I ignored her.

* * *

I wandered all around the village. I don't really know what I was doing, or thinking. I was just this shell walking around. All because of a stupid boy.

I went home and lay down on my bed for a couple of hours. I stared at the ceiling, thoughts absently crossing my mind. Thoughts like how I should paint my ceiling to make it look like the sky on a sunny day.

I got bored though, and so I went to go sit on the window ledge. My room has a brilliant view. You can see the whole of Konoha. It faces Konoha's highest hill, and you can watch the sunset. Or sunrise, if you're up that early. It's beautiful, it really is.

Sitting there, my legs dangling freely, I saw someone climbing the hill. I knew instantly that it was Shikamaru. Not just 'cause of his pineapple-headedness. I felt this zap in my heart too. So my heart was telling me one of two things: either that was Shikamaru, the love of my life, up on that hill, or I was having a heart attack. I was sure it was the former, so I pushed myself from the ledge and landed gracefully on the ground, like a cat. Hurriedly, I made my way to the hill. I'm not sure why I was so panicky, but I felt that I had to get to that hill as quickly as I could.

* * *

When I got there I was very out of breath. That's how fast I went. I stood there, my palm at my chest, trying to catch my breath. Shikamaru was lying there with his hands interlocked under his head. He didn't even look at me. It was like I didn't exist, which he knew I hated.

"Shikamaru." He still didn't look at me. I sighed. "Look, I'm _sorry._" I could tell he was surprised. There's rarely a time when I apologize.

His face quickly turned impassive again. "What're you sorry for? It's all my fault, isn't it? It's always my fault."

I sat down cross-legged next to him and pulled up some grass. "I _am _sorry. I acted irrationally." He snorted, and I couldn't help but giggle. It was a pretty big understatement.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you."

"No," I said firmly, "much as I don't like it, I'm glad you told me. You need to be honest in a relationship."

"Mmm… Maybe."

"It _is _important." I pressed down on his arm. "So," I said hopefully, "since everything's cleared up now, can we get back together?"

He shut his eyes. That was a bad sign. "Ino, I don't think so."

My voice quavered as I asked, "Why not?"

He sighed, his eyes still shut. "Well?" I prompted. He sighed again. "Ino, you wouldn't be happy know I loved Temari."

"You don't know that," he gave me a look, "okay, so I wouldn't. But anyway, you said you cared about me, right? That's enough for now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." And I was. My heart wasn't quite fixed yet, but I was sure it would be soon. I reached over and clasped his hand, and squeezed. He squeezed back, and I _knew _my heart would be fixed soon.

* * *

That was months ago. We had our second first kiss just last week, 'cause Shikamaru wants to take things slower, but I've told Shikamaru that I love him more times than I can count since then. He still hasn't said it to me yet, but he _has _told me that he doesn't love Temari anymore. I'm very happy about that.

Right now I'm sitting on the hill, waiting for Shikamaru. He told me earlier that he had something important and he really needed to talk to me, so we arranged to meet here. I wonder what it could be.

I can see him ascending the hill now. I run down to meet him, and he groans as I fling myself into his arms. I press my lips against his gently and he strokes my cheek. "So, what is it?" I ask. He flushes, and I think I know what's coming, but I don't want to get my hopes up. "Ino…"

"Yes?"

My arms are still around his neck and he pushes his head into my shoulder. "Tell me what it is!" I demand, feeling quite giddy. I know I shouldn't be, but I can't help myself. He lifts his head up, and his eyes are determined and sparkling. Then he kisses me deeply. "Ino, I love you."

* * *

AN: So, how was it? I quite enjoyed writing in first-person. Should I write more like that, or what? Also, I want to know how I was writing in the Naruto-verse. I can't believe this is my first non-AU. I would love to know what you think, review-whore that I am! xD So, please review!


End file.
